US Police Partner with Amazon to Stop Package Theft

Local police in various American cities are collaborating with e-commerce company Amazon to catch thieves who steal customers’ packages. The partnership was done to address porch theft, or the stealing of packages left outside customers’ houses. In Jersey City, the police set up fake Amazon packages containing GPS trackers and surveillance cameras outside people’s porches. The boxes were left in places with high theft statistics. Some police officers even volunteered to have their own houses used as bait for the operation. The same strategy was done in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The police called this program Operation Drop Box. The operation was launched during the holidays, a time when reports of porch theft are high. This operation is the police and Amazon’s clever response to the increasing cases of package theft in the United States. Based on a previous study, about 26 million Americans experienced having their packages stolen. In another survey, 31% of 1,000 respondents had problems related to porch theft. Moreover, authorities predict that porch theft cases will further rise with the popularity of online shopping. Previous statistics showed a 58% increase in online shopping in the United States between 2000 and 2016. Nevertheless, the police consider the program successful. In Jersey City, one thief was apprehended only three minutes after a package was left outside a house. For this reason, the police hope to continue working with Amazon to catch porch thieves. Although one operation in Saint Paul did not result in any arrest, local police still think that Operation Drop Box is a success. Authorities believe that their use of technology will make thieves think twice before committing a crime.